


the bucket list

by onlyone_cannoli



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Did I mention fluff?, F/F, Fluff, Wayhaught - Freeform, anyway talk to me about nicole, because who doesn't need that, bucket lists, nicole being adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 10:55:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8399023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyone_cannoli/pseuds/onlyone_cannoli
Summary: “You know what I’ve always wanted?”
  
  “...What?”
  
  “To parachute out of a plane at 15,000 feet. To swim, far, far out into the ocean, to where you can’t see the bottom anymore. To eat geoduck.”
Nicole takes Waverly on a trip to fulfill the items on her bucket list, and ends up crossing off something on her own.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this idea’s been brewing in my head for a while, so I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. buckets of thanks to [leftpawedpolarbear](http://archiveofourown.org/users/LeftPawedPolarBear/pseuds/LeftPawedPolarBear) for beta-ing and being generally awesome :) as always, happy reading!

It takes Nicole the better part of three years to save up enough money for the trip, but all the effort is more than worth it when she sees Waverly’s face light up, surprise colored with curiosity, as Nicole hands her the envelope holding their travel plans for the next few days.

(Nicole’s been toying with the idea for a while, of course, but she’d found it decidedly difficult to plan a vacation when demons kept trying to kill them.)

But despite how long it’s taken, Nicole figures the timing couldn’t have been better. With the last of the revenants  _finally_  dispatched back to hell, Wynonna had promptly taken off to a beach retreat in Cancun (declaring that her next great quest after breaking the Earp curse was to drink the southern hemisphere dry of tequila), Doc and Dolls had scrambled after her (there are bets as to which one of them will make it back alive), and as much as Nicole has grown to love Purgatory, she’s been feeling the itch to leave, too - to get away for a while.

To be alone with her girlfriend.

“Nicole…” Waverly says slowly, letting her bag slide off her shoulder as she sits down, taking out all the tickets and reservations and itineraries from the envelope and spreading them out on the table, sifting through everything incredulously. “What...what is all this?”

Nicole sits down beside her, still amazed at how her heart flutters with giddiness when Waverly turns to face her, eyes bright and cheeks pink with the blush of delighted surprise. 

“This,” Nicole says, grinning into the kiss she presses to Waverly’s forehead, “is your bucket list.”

* * *

Nicole hardly considers herself a chicken, and after fighting _literal_  demons for the past three years she’d be hard pressed to say that _anything_  scares her at this point, but when the plane door slides open and the world opens up below their feet, she feels her stomach drop like an anvil and her heart instantly lodges in her throat.

Trying to muster up some Haught courage, she leans forward a little and takes a peek out the door, filled with equal parts terror and awe. It’s  _cold_ , first of all, and so loud that she can hardly hear the guide yelling out final instructions (but whether that’s from the wind whipping around them or her blood rushing in her ears, it’s hard to tell.) She can make out tiny specks of green and brown that are supposed to be the ground, impossibly far away - well, 13,000 feet away, to be exact - but it’s the way the vast expanse of sky drops off in front of her, dotted with clouds that are literally  _right there_ , that’s sort of dizzying, and Nicole involuntarily takes a small step back.

Waverly notices. “You can hold my hand if you’re scared,” she teases, but when she reaches out toward Nicole her hand is shaking, too, and Nicole grabs it and squeezes hard, trying not to think about the fact that she’s just paid a lot of money to potentially jump to her death.

The guide is yelling again, pulling on his jacket to mime pulling the parachute cord -  _just pull the cord, remember to pull the cord_  - and Waverly tugs on her hand a little to coax her forward again. Nicole swallows hard and turns back to ask the guy,  _This is safe, right?_  but he’s already asking  _You guys ready?_  and Waverly is giving him the thumbs up, and next thing Nicole knows her toes are  _on_  the edge - no, they’re  _over the edge_  - and holy  _shit, we’re jumping_ - 

The wind takes her breath the second they start falling, stealing the scream from her lungs, and she panics for a second -  _oh my god we’re gonna die_. But she can still feel the solidness of Waverly’s hand holding hers, and when she looks down she sees the world spread out beneath them like a canvas, like nothing Nicole has ever seen before. Beside her, Waverly is shrieking with joy, her arms flung out wide and her hair streaming behind her, blown loose by the rush of wind, her face alight with exhilaration.

Waverly’s excitement is just enough to distract her from the prospect of imminent death, so Nicole follows suit, spreading her arms, letting the euphoria and adrenaline carry her, and with Waverly’s hand still firmly clasped in hers, Nicole swears she’s never felt more on top of the world.

* * *

Wynonna’s idea of “chipping in” had been recommending an old guy with a boat who sailed out of a small port just outside of Vancouver.

Nicole has instant regrets when they pull up to the marina, which has the sort of rusty, worn-down look that makes her wish she’d brought her gun. (She may have had one too many drinks during this conversation with Wynonna to question any part of this plan before agreeing to it.)

But Waverly looks nothing less than eager, and when they get out of the car they’re immediately greeted by an old man who introduces himself as Roy. Nicole eyes him warily, taking in his wild, scraggly beard and the gaps in his mouth where half his teeth should have been, but he nevertheless gallantly holds out his arm for Waverly to take as he leads her toward the docks, waving over his shoulder for Nicole to follow. Nicole sighs and glances around the otherwise-deserted marina one last time before obliging, trying to take comfort in the fact that she could probably take Roy in a fight if necessary.

Roy’s boat turns out to be surprisingly sleek and sturdy-looking, painted blue and silver and bearing the name  _Layla_. Waverly is already on the deck as the boat sputters to life, and soon Roy is guiding them out of the marina and into the great blue depths of the Pacific.

Nicole has always loved being out on the ocean, but this time, she’s far too distracted by her girlfriend to focus on her surroundings. All of her misgivings about the marina and Roy start to fall away as she watches Waverly watch the water - the way she leans over the rail, letting her hand dangle over the side as she tries to catch the waves, giggling with delight when they spray over her. 

She motions for Nicole to join her, taking her hand and squeezing it lightly, and Nicole’s heart beats a little faster as Waverly closes her eyes, leaning back into Nicole’s embrace to let the sun hit her face, a smile of blissful content curling her lips, radiant and infinitely beautiful.

After a few minutes, Roy slows the boat down to a stop, dropping the anchor and pulling out two ragged lifejackets that look suspiciously like he’d made them himself. He tethers them to the railing with a rope and hooks a short ladder to the side, then steps back and sweeps his arm out toward the water, grinning with all ten of his teeth.

Nicole jumps in first, shuddering at the cold. Waverly is a little more cautious, sitting on the first rung of the ladder for a moment, studying the way the water swirls around her legs.

“You really can’t see the bottom,” she says, almost to herself.

“Scared?” Nicole teases.

Waverly sticks her tongue out and flicks water at Nicole with her foot. “Yes,” she says, then takes a deep breath and slides the rest of the way in.

She squeals when she hits the water, arms flailing as the waves splash up to her chin.

“It’s okay, baby, I’ve got you,” Nicole says with a little laugh, gently grabbing one of Waverly’s elbows to steady her as they tread water. “You okay?”

Waverly slowly does a 360, taking in the boundless blue of the ocean stretching out farther than they can see. She looks back at Nicole, her eyes shining, reflecting the glow of the sunlight on the calm waters around them, and when she replies she squeezes Nicole’s hand again, her voice tinged with awe.

“This is a _maze_ -balls.”

* * *

“Okay so...tell me again why this is on your bucket list?”

Waverly smiles patiently at the question, which Nicole admits has been asked quite frequently over the course of their trip.

“It’s about the  _challenge_ ,” Waverly says, blowing a few bubbles into her water through her straw like a five-year-old. An _adorable_ five-year-old. “About bucking up and experiencing new and weird and scary things.”

Nicole grimaces. “Well, you got the  _weird_  part right.”

“Listen,” Waverly says, laughing, “ _you_  don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.”

“No.” Nicole shakes her head, laying her napkin down with determination. “I will.”

As if on cue, the waiter returns, setting down their piping hot order between them.

Nicole waves away some of the steam, wrinkling her nose as they both study the contents of the plate. “Wow. They really  _do_  look like - “

“Yeah,” Waverly agrees, looking about as reluctant as Nicole feels. “Wait...how would  _you_  know?”

“I have  _seen_  plenty of them,” Nicole says indignantly. “More than enough, I might add. This’ll just be the first - and last, and  _only_  - time that I’ll ever have them...in my mouth.”

“Ni _cole_!” Waverly says scoldingly, but the reprimand is lost in her giggle.

They both quickly sober up again, staring at the plate for another few seconds before Nicole nudges it toward Waverly. “Ladies first.”

She sighs. “Okay, okay.”

Nicole watches with mild apprehension as Waverly carefully slices off a piece of the neck - the way they’d seen it in the videos that Waverly had insisted on watching - and spears it with her fork.

“Let the record show,” she says solemnly, looking Nicole square in the eye, “as of this moment, we have officially eaten geoduck.” She takes a deep breath, squeezes her eyes shut, and gingerly places the forkful in her mouth.

Nicole holds her breath as Waverly chews, waiting for the verdict. After what seems like an eternity, Waverly swallows and pries one eye open.

“Well?” Nicole says, raising an eyebrow.

“Well.” Waverly picks up her napkin and delicately dabs at her mouth with the corner. “I think I saw a pizza place by the hotel…”

Nicole rolls her eyes. “Oh, don’t be dramatic,” she says, stabbing another piece with her fork and popping it into her mouth.

The flavor bursts instantly on her taste buds, an explosion of oceanic saltiness mixed with a hint of something sweet, and when she chews it feels strangely crunchy.

“Pizza?” Waverly says hopefully.

Nicole swallows, smacking her lips a little. She doesn’t  _not_  like it, but the prospect of eating an entire plateful of the stuff isn’t exactly appealing, either. She downs her glass of water and nods vigorously. “Pizza.”

* * *

“So,” Nicole says, hooking an arm over the back of her chair as she lounges back a little, pretending to read off the itinerary she’s holding in one hand and swirling her glass of wine with the other. “Are you ready for the last thing on the list?”

Waverly turns from the balcony of their hotel room where she’s been watching the sunset and takes a sip of her wine. “There’s more?”

“Of  _course_  there’s more,” Nicole exclaims, putting a hand to her chest, pretending to be affronted. “In fact, if I remember correctly, the last part went something like…  _The thing I want to do most in the world...is you._ ” An instant flush colors Waverly’s cheeks, nearly matching the hues of the setting sun behind her, and Nicole grins and waggles her eyebrows. “But...I think you’ve already crossed that one off.”

“Mm,” Waverly says, setting her wine glass down as she approaches Nicole, her hips swaying in that way that’s always been mesmerizing, her eyes bright and bold. Nicole feels her heart skip a few beats as Waverly stops just in front of her, a hint of mischief lacing the smile that plays on her lips, and almost lazily swings a leg around Nicole’s knees so that she’s basically straddling her on the chair. She lays one hand on Nicole’s chest, right over her fluttering heart, and gently cups her face with the other, brushing her thumb over Nicole’s cheek.

“Good memory,” Waverly says, her smile glowing in the light of the sunset, and Nicole has to remind herself to keep breathing. “We could do it again, though. You know, just to make sure.”

“We could,” Nicole murmurs, gently pulling Waverly down to kiss her, grinning when their noses bump. “But…”

Waverly sits back, brows furrowed in indignation. “ _But?_  Since when has there been a  _but_  in this situation?”

“ _But_ ,” Nicole repeats, sliding her hands down to rest on Waverly’s waist, “there’s something on _my_ bucket list I’d like to cross off first.”

“ _Your_  bucket list? I didn’t know you had one.”

“Of course I do. But this one’s a secret.  _Sort_  of,” she adds, as Waverly puffs her cheeks out in a huff. “You’ll see. But you’re gonna have to stand up for it. And close your eyes.”

“And I bet you’ll want me to stand by the railing, too,” Waverly says, rolling her eyes, but there’s a smile tugging on her lips as she gets to her feet anyway. “And you’ll just  _accidentally_  push me over it to my death.”

Nicole stands up, too, giving a mock horrified gasp as she steers Waverly toward the balcony. “I would  _never_. Don’t you trust me?”

Waverly giggles at Nicole’s bottom lip pushed out in a pout, and stands up on her tiptoes to kiss her on the cheek. “Of course I trust you.”

“Good,” Nicole grins. “Now, just close your eyes.”

“This better be good, Nicole Haught,” Waverly says warningly, but her smile is still curling her lips as she complies.

Satisfied that Waverly isn’t peeking, Nicole stands back and slips her hand into her pocket, taking out the small box that’s been burning a hole into her leg all night. She takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself, and cracks the box open as she slowly bends down on one knee in front of Waverly.

“Okay,” she says, and can’t help that her voice shakes a little. “You can open your eyes now.”

Waverly obliges, but it takes her a moment to register where Nicole is; confusion flickers on her face before she gasps with the realization, clapping a hand over her mouth. 

“Waverly Earp,” Nicole says, willing herself to get the question out before she completely breaks down from nervousness and excitement and giddiness. “Will you marry me?”

Waverly doesn’t speak, but something that sounds very much like a small sob escapes her and Nicole is suddenly overcome with concern that there seem to be tears in Waverly’s eyes. “Wave - “ she starts, moving to get up, but Waverly intercepts her and all but flings herself into Nicole’s arms, seizing her around the neck, and when Nicole hears an  _actual_ sob she starts to feel her own eyes sting, and suddenly they’re  _both_  crying, and somehow also laughing, breathless, half-standing and leaning against the railing for support.

Nicole straightens up after a minute, pulling Waverly up with her, and gently brushes her thumb over the tears on Waverly’s cheeks with a hopeful smile. “So...I don’t suppose it would be too bold of me to take that as a yes?”

Waverly laughs again, hiccupping a little through her tears. “No,” she says, grabbing the collar of Nicole’s shirt to pull her down into a kiss, and when they break apart she rests her hand on Nicole’s cheek, pressing their foreheads together. “I don’t suppose it would be too bold at all.”

“Good,” Nicole whispers. She takes the ring out of its padded box, and Waverly holds her breath as Nicole slips it onto her finger.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathes, turning a little to admire the way it glitters gold and silver in the dying light.

“Nothing compared to you,” Nicole says truthfully, and she slips a hand around Waverly’s waist to pull her closer, kissing her again, losing herself in the sweet saltiness of Waverly’s lips.

"Wait a second," Waverly says when she pulls back, tilting her head, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Are you saying that asking me to marry you was on your bucket list?”

Nicole laughs. “Well, not exactly. I believe the original phrasing was ‘t _o marry the most beautiful girl in the world._ ’ So I guess I’m just lucky that you happened to fit the criteria.”

Waverly crosses her arms over her chest. “Oh, I just  _happened_  to fit your criteria, huh,” she says, raising an eyebrow.

“How could you not?” Nicole says simply, countering Waverly’s teasing statement with honest sincerity. She gently catches Waverly’s hand with her own, lacing their fingers together before she brings it up to kiss her knuckles. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes upon, Waverly Earp, and I knew I was gonna be head over heels for you the moment I stepped foot into Shorty’s three years ago. And I don’t know how it’s possible, but I love you more with every passing day, and I can’t think of anything better than spending the rest of my life with you. Getting to be with you automatically makes me the luckiest woman in the world, and today you’ve made me the happiest, too.”

Waverly laughs a little, quickly blinking away the tears that have welled up in her eyes again. “Okay,” she says, shaking her head, “that’s enough of your sweet talk, Nicole Haught, or you’ll have to deal with me being a blubbering mess for the rest of the night. And  _I_ , for one, don’t want that because I’ve got  _other_ plans.”

“Is that so?” 

“Yeah. This trip is supposed to be about  _my_  bucket list, remember? And as you mentioned, I’ve got one last thing to check off, so I’d like to get back to that as soon as possible, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, well in that case,” Nicole grins, and Waverly squeals when Nicole swoops down to pick her up, kissing her soundly on the lips as she carries her back inside, sliding the balcony door shut and sweeping the curtains closed behind them. “I don’t think I mind that at all.”

**Author's Note:**

> so i just wanna say that I have personally never done any of these things other than being in the ocean, so if anything sounds inaccurate it’s probably because I’m completely making everything up lol. also, if you don't know what geoduck (apparently pronounced "gooeyduck"?) looks like, you should probably google it. really. do it. (and then imagine wayhaught eating it.)
> 
> anyway, thank you all for reading, hope you liked it! feel free to come talk to me on [tumblr](https://onlyone-cannoli.tumblr.com) :)


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